Providing information, education, and training to build knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes that will lead to increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII) for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA--A training supervisor at a state-run youth
facility has been fired for failing to cooperate with officials investigating
the restraint-related death of a 13-year-old boy.

The Associated Press reported that Georgia Division of Mental Health,
Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases director Gwen Skinner
dismissed Sam Shoemaker after he refused to take a lie-detector test as part of
the state's internal investigation into the teen's death.

Travis Parker died on April 21 after being restrained facedown for more
than an hour by counselors at the Appalachian Wilderness Camp. Parker, who had
asthma, was also denied his inhaler during the incident.

An autopsy later determined that his death was caused by the restraint.

Six camp counselors have been charged with murder in Parker's death.

The counselors involved in the death told investigators that they were
just doing what they had been trained by Shoemaker to do.

Shoemaker had reportedly said that the prone restraint technique had
been taught at the facility for at least the past 17 years.

Director Skinner, however, has said that the facedown restraints were
not allowed. Officials had hoped the polygraph test would have helped resolve
some of the conflicts between Shoemaker's statements and those of others
involved in the case.

The GCDD is funded under the provisions of P.L. 106-402. The federal law also provides funding to the Minnesota Disability Law Center,the state Protection and Advocacy System, and to the Institute on Community Integration, the state University Center for Excellence. The Minnesota network of programs works to increase the IPSII of people with developmental disabilities and families into community life.